The Princess of Dragon's Castle
by Jimli
Summary: A young prince on a quest to become a knight by slaying a dragon and rescuing a princess, despite all odds and advice. Do you think you know the story? So did Prince Dex...
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** This story was written for a friend, who loved it, then sent to a publisher, who didn't. I've had their opinions on the matter, now I'd like yours. :)_

 _Jimli_

* * *

 **The Princess of Dragon's Castle**

Chapter 1

He had stopped in any town, burg, village, or hamlet with a public space, found the gossips, the oldest folks, the chatty children, anyone with the time of day to give, and asked about captured princesses.

Prince Dex was very patient, listening to long-winded tales with little bearing on his question, tales so old and familiar that they could not be true, and clumsy, rambling flights of fancy. Most of his attempts at information landed him little, but he always thanked whomever it was kindly, said he'd look into it, and ride into the next town.

Dex _did_ ask about previous stories in the next place, trying to distill truth from the various reports he'd received, but mostly, he would either get blank looks, or guffaws for having been 'taken in by that ol' nugget!' Again, he would ask around, often hearing new takes on the same tales, but one thing a venerable figure of an old man had told him earned some glimmer of hope.

"Aye, lad, the ol' fella had tha' right. Heard tha' tale m'self, once't upon a time. Fair princess offered to yon great red dragon in his keep. Several leagues from here, though. And tisn't likely to be th' same fair princess. Th' great red eats 'em, gets new ones from other places. Mayn't e'en be a true princess by now. Heard th' great red's not fussed 'bout royalty."

Dex nodded politely, encouraged by some repeated information, and bought the older man another pint. He got no other information from him, except a vague direction in which to find the great red's keep.

He took off the next morning, headed in the direction the gaffer had instructed.

Through the next few hamlets and villages, he got more and more definite information about the red dragon's castle, as well as a constant confirmation that this dragon did indeed hold to the seemingly time-honored tradition of having young maidens, often princesses. Some of these girls were offered as sacrifices, some were captured by the dragon, although the manner in which the dragon was able to find these maidens and princesses available to be snatched was too-often vague in Dex's opinion. Still, it seemed as though he may finally be on the right track towards finding a princess, or at least a maiden, that he might rescue, which would not only give him opportunity of winning over the young lady in question, but would also allow him to fulfill his quest.

In Dex's kingdom, anyone, regardless of birth or even gender, might become a knight of the realm. All he needed to do was go through the rigorous knight's training to the satisfaction of the instructors and the Captain of the Guard, and then successfully complete a quest. A knight-to-be could be assigned a quest by the Captain, a decision by the instructors, or by his own father. Dex, who had thought long and hard about that very thing since deciding to become a knight, chose to find and rescue a princess. He had read many stories of the exploits of other knights, as well as the handed down tales of his own bloodline, and put in his decision to the council of instructors.

Before receiving approval, Dex had been advised that this quest, while certainly fulfilling the requirements of chivalry, honor, bravery, and all other qualities of a knight, was by its own nature, a difficult one to achieve. It relied heavily on opportunity, and could therefore be very time-consuming. The last fellow who had taken on a quest such as this had been Dex's grandmother's brother, Thionan, and he had been on the quest still when his father had died, leaving Dex's grandmother, Pernia, to ascend the throne. Prince Thionan had actually succeeded, bringing home a lovely and witty maiden named Sybil - three years after Queen Pernia began her reign. It had been a very difficult situation, remedied only by the quick wit of the new princess and the instant bond that she and Pernia had made upon Thionan's return. A small portion of the kingdom had been given over to the prince and princess, and the hereditary title of 'Thionan Prince' was given to the family. The current Captain of the Guard was, in fact, the Thionan Prince, Vari, by name.

"My esteemed teachers," Dex had said, "I understand your concerns, but as I am third prince, with my eldest brother to be crowned at Midsummer, I see no reason this quest may interfere. As third prince, I have resources and time." _And nothing better to do._ Dex kept that thought to himself, but the council was surely smart enough to see it for themselves. They had agreed, and Dex had left on his quest a week after his brother's coronation, with both his and their aging father's blessings.

That had been four years ago. Now twenty, Prince Dex finally had a viable lead on the opportunity he'd been waiting for.

Before leaving the last town several leagues back, he had been on high enough ground to see the dragon's castle in the distance. He even caught sight of a flying speck that was no doubt the great red dragon himself.

As dark fell, he knew he wouldn't reach the castle, so he resigned to make camp in the woods between the road he'd left earlier and the keep. He fell asleep dreaming about the beautiful princess he'd rescue.

He started early and reached the castle slightly after lunch. That morning, as he'd cleared the last of the trees, he'd seen a beautiful girl at one of the windows, briefly. He'd spurred his horse forward, invigorated by the sight. A fair maiden at the dragon's castle!

He brought the horse up short in the courtyard of the castle, and drew his sword, rushing recklessly into the entrance.

The proportions of the castle weren't terribly different from the ones of his own home, meaning the dragon couldn't be the hundred-foot-tall creature that the denizens of the last village had claimed, but he could still be quite large and easily manage the halls, doors, and rooms that Dex saw and searched.

He arrived at a large staircase, bypassed it temporarily to check the rest of the ground floor, then raced up the steps.

At the stair to the third floor, Dex was quite worn out from all the searching, and made a decision to hide out in the first room for a quick nap.

* * *

Dex heard something and rose quietly from the floor. He'd slept on the far side of a bed to be hidden from the view of anyone standing in the doorway. Birds were chirping cheerfully outside the window. Dex cursed in a knightly, but not princely, manner. He'd slept the night away in the red dragon's castle! Straightening his clothes, Dex began his search of the castle's third floor.

In a lushly and lavishly decorated room at the end of the hall, he found her: the princess stood facing out the window, the morning light framing her form in a beautiful golden glow.

"Princess?" Dex called softly. She started, turning.

"Where did you come from, young man?"

Prince Dex blinked. It had surely been a female voice, and had just as surely come from the figure before him, but she sounded like his mother. She'd even called him 'young man'. He tried shielding his eyes, to get a better look at her face. She laughed softly and stepped forward. Dex blinked again, his shoulders undeniably sagging: beautiful she was, but she was also a mature woman, not a young maiden. She laughed again.

"I'm not sure what is wrong, but you certainly look as though you've suffered a dreadful disappointment. Here," she gestured to a soft chair, "why don't you sit, and tell me how it is you came here, and what your troubles are, dear."

Dex flopped dejectedly into the chair, and the woman pulled another from a nearby vanity to join him. She patiently waited until Dex looked up and sighed.

"I came here to slay the great red dragon."

She smiled sadly. "I'm sorry to tell you, but he was slain a few years back. But why were you going to slay him?"

Dex smiled, irony in his voice. "I wanted to slay the dragon and rescue the fair maiden."

"I see," she replied, smiling, "and I am hardly a fair maiden." Dex blushed and started sputtering, but she only laughed again. "It's quite all right, good knight."

"I'm not a knight yet, this was going to be my quest to earn my knighthood."

"Oh, how efficient! Rescue a fair maiden and become a knight all at once!"

Dex frowned. "Madam, there is no need to make fun of me."

"Of course not, young sir. I am sorry. I don't get much company here, and I'm afraid it has somewhat warped my sense of humor. Would you like to hear how I came here and about the great red dragon?"

Prince Dex nodded; he was always eager for a good tale, one of the reasons he had allowed the gaffers and gammers to carry on in those small taverns. She nodded, falling quiet for only a moment before beginning her tale…


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**_ _Here is chapter two. Thank you to Be Rose for the nice review. :) Hope you continue to enjoy the story._

 _Jimli_

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Chapter Two

Once upon a time, in a kingdom some ways away, a king and queen were eagerly awaiting their firstborn child. The queen, Portentia, finally took to the birthing bed in the bright early morning of a fine summer day, and sometime in the afternoon, she brought a beautiful daughter with a tuft of golden hair and deep blue eyes into the world.

A chambermaid entered the room carrying an armful of calla lilies that she placed in a crystal vase before opening the room to the warm summer breezes. Queen Portentia looked up at the brightly colored flowers.

"What's this?"

"The calla lilies, Your Majesty. They bloomed only just today!"

"Calla lilies?" she mused, looking at the little girl in her arms. "You shall be Princess Calla."

The queen very much believed in omens and signs and had a strong sense of tradition, so she sent out invitations to fairies to come to the official birthday ceremony for little Princess Calla. Most fairies, for one politely given reason or another, declined, but one fairy did show up.

King Milo and Queen Portentia were quite proud to have her and treated her very well, as they did with all of the special attendees, mostly family, friends, and neighboring dignitaries. The queen was overjoyed when the fairy offered to bestow a magical gift on the little princess.

"Oh, how lucky!" the queen said cheerfully.

"Luck! The very thing!" the fairy chirped. "Little Princess Calla, I give you the gift of luck!"

Queen Portentia smiled, but King Milo faltered a little. He'd never heard of a fairy bestowing luck on a baby outside of the stories his dear gran used to tell. Still, he joined his wife in thanking the beaming fairy.

As Princess Calla grew from a beautiful baby into an adorable toddler, the king noticed some odd things. Strange coincidences happened around his little girl.

As she was learning to walk, she'd bump into things, as little children often do. Almost everything she bumped would fall and break, but she would never have a scratch on her.

One day, her nanny had refused to let the little girl have some cookies from the kitchen, and Calla toddled away from her, catching the door into the kitchen ajar. She bumped into the cook, who was startled enough to drop a tray of cookies all around the princess. Calla shoved them into her mouth until Nanny finally caught up with her. Cook hadn't stopped the princess or cleaned up the mess because she'd turned her foot badly when the princess had bumped into her.

When she begged for a cat and was refused, a horde of mice were discovered in the cellars. A woman happened to wander into the courtyard market with a litter of kittens she was trying to give to good homes. Calla got the pick of the litter as a personal pet, the rest were turned into the cellars to kill the mice.

A few years later, when Calla heard she was to start tutoring, she balked, arguing with Nanny and both royal parents to no avail. In the middle of the night, a late fall storm broke, flooding the rivers enough to prevent her governess' arrival. When this news reached King Milo's ears, he began thinking back to every odd thing he'd heard of happening around his daughter. When he included things not pertaining to her wants, but that had happened merely in her presence, the list was long and disturbing indeed.

It didn't take long before the servants made the same connections Milo had, and soon the castle, then the town, then the whole kingdom was buzzing with the notion.

There were dark mutters of witchcraft until someone remembered the fairy's gift: _luck_.

"But what about the bad things? My fields were flooded out in the big storm a few years back," a farmer at market asked the castle cook's apprentice looking over the tomatoes.

"Ah, but the fairy didn't say what kind of luck, did she? There's good and bad luck," another shopper commented.

From that point on, any unusual occurrences in the kingdom, whether the princess was anywhere near or not, was pinned on her. The really horrid part was that every good thing had an equally bad thing tied to it, and it was not just small things, either.

When Calla was eleven, a border dispute came up between their country and a larger, more powerful country to the west. King Milo was a skilled diplomat and negotiator, but all of his correspondence seemed to be very much in vain. As a last-ditch effort, Milo, Portentia, and Calla made an appearance at the neighboring kingdom's court.

Even in person, the king's attempts were not well-received. They left in peace, but Milo called on his advisors upon their return home, anticipating news of hostilities. Instead, news reached them that a dreadful plague had swept through the larger kingdom, decimating the population. A plague that started mere days after the royals had left.

Knowing the citizens already looked to Princess Calla when strange things happened, King Milo demanded that the news be kept quiet, but it leaked out anyway. The people were horrified, not that the dreadful plague had swept through, killing thousands, but that Princess Calla's luck had that kind of power. Milo tried to assure the people that not everything could be pinned on Calla, and that this most unfortunate of events could never be proved to be her luck's doing, but it was not enough.

A crowd showed up in the courtyard, demanding that the princess be killed, banished, anything to be rid of her.

"Milo, whatever shall we do? We can't let them harm her!" Portentia asked him, her fear for her daughter slowly turning to panic.

"I don't know. Perhaps," he cleared his throat awkwardly, "perhaps, her luck will provide."

"Your Majesties?" a voice called from the door. It was Calla's young governess. "I did not mean to overhear, but, but I very much love Princess Calla, and with your permission, I would gladly take her from here, to my home. Only until all of this nonsense settles down, of course. I live in the next kingdom, true, but, perhaps…" she trailed off, looking at the royal couple. King Milo and Queen Portentia exchanged a long, silent look, then turned back to the governess and nodded.

That evening, when the crowds had either dispersed or settled in for a sleep, the young governess, Flora, and the princess quietly slipped out of the castle. As they were running for the side entrance to meet a guardsman with horses, a merchant who had been particularly vocal against the princess ran into them.

The mob was quickly roused, and the princess was taken. They took Princess Calla to a forsaken borderland marsh and left her there with her hands and feet tied.

As the sun rose, a great red dragon landed in the marshes, looking for breakfast. He found the princess, dirty, bound, and frightened.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:**_ _Chapter three. I admit some disappoint with the reaction to this. (Excepting you, Be Rose, thank you once again for your review!) Could it be the publisher's refusal was just?! :)_

 _Ah, enjoy the story anyway._

 _Jimli :)_

"What are you doing here?" he asked her. She shuffled away like an inchworm.

"Don't eat me!"

The dragon snorted. "Sorry to disappoint, but I'm in the rare mood for fish. That's why I came here this morning. But why are you here?"

"I'm lucky," the girl said quietly.

The dragon snorted again. Calla was beginning to wonder if it was laughter, instead of disdain.

"Lucky? It's lucky to be bound up in the middle of a desolate marsh, facing a dragon?"

She shrugged. "That's bad luck isn't it? An unusual set of circumstances leading to an odd outcome? That's luck, isn't it? That's what Flora told me."

"I suppose that is one definition of luck, but surely humans mean good luck when they say 'lucky'."

"But it was a fairy who said it," the princess mumbled.

"Ah, fairies," the dragon nodded. "They certainly don't always understand human concepts of things."

"You're a dragon," she pointed out.

"Yes, well, dragons live long lives, dealing with and around humans. And, if I may say so, dragons are generally deeper thinkers than fairies. The fairies that generally deal with humans are the sillier ones, looking for admiration and attention. Cleverer fairies stay in the fey and avoid mortals of every sort."

She looked at the dragon in open awe. "You're not what I thought a dragon would be."

The dragon snorted again. This time she was sure it was laughter. "Nothing is ever what you think it would be." The dragon looked around. "I doubt I can find the fish I wanted, since there has been so much noise and activity today. Perhaps the other end of the swamp." The dragon cocked its head at the princess. "Would you like to come with me? Even being in the company of a ferocious, maiden-eating dragon should be preferable to being tied up in a lonely marsh."

She nodded. "Yes, but, do you really eat maidens?"

The dragon snorted, then snapped at her ropes with its teeth, severing them neatly without damaging her at all.

"Not typically," it replied. "Human males put a lot of faith by purity, but who wants to eat a scrawny, half-grown human, when there are meaty knights, and fat, over-fed merchants?"

The dragon stretched, and Calla saw that it was not the huge beast she'd always imagined. In total, the dragon was probably only twice as long as a tall man, and proportioned similarly. From the ground, she doubted it was half again as tall as a horse.

"So, what is your name, lucky human?"

"I'm Princess Calla. My mother named me after the calla lilies that bloomed on the day I was born."

"My mother had a similar thought; my name is Orion, named for the first appearance of the star-bound hunter in the night sky."

"So you're a boy-dragon?" Calla asked, pausing in her attempt to climb onto the dragon's back.

Once again, he snorted, only extendedly this time.

"'Boy-dragon,'" he repeated. "Yes, Princess, I am male. I am fully grown, however, well into my breeding years. Perhaps two or three times your age, in human terms."

"I am eleven."

He nodded. "Yes, something like that, but as I said, dragons are long-lived. If you stretch a human's years to say, 300, and divide up the stages of his life proportionately, that should explain it well enough. Now, do you still want to come with me, Princess Calla, or do you think it inappropriate to be alone with a boy-dragon?"

She scowled as he snorted again, but climbed up. He took flight carefully, both to prevent her from falling and to keep from scaring her badly, and they headed for a different part of the swamp.

After warning the princess to be quiet and tread softly, he delicately landed, and she slid down. She watched, fascinated as he scooped fish out with his taloned hands, not damaging the fish in the process. When he had what he obviously deemed enough, he turned to her.

"I usually eat mine quite raw, often still quite alive. I don't figure you enjoy your fish like that. If you give me a little time to eat, I'll catch a few more for you afterwards, and we can take them back to my castle to be cleaned and cooked to your liking. I'm afraid you'll have to cook them."

"Can't you breathe fire on them or something?"

He snorted again. "Not all dragons breathe fire, and even those that do cannot control the temperature for cooking. There'd be nothing left of the fish." Seeing she was still looking at him curiously, he continued. "No, princess, I cannot. My mother could. I take somewhat more after my father." He snorted again, as though there were a joke, but he did not elaborate further.

She wandered around a little, letting him enjoy his breakfast, trying not to think about everything. She wondered what her parents were doing, what had become of Flora, what had happened to the folks who had dragged her out here. She wondered about the great red dragon, Orion, and what he was going to do with her. In short, trying not to think about everything didn't work, and the thing that broke her out of misery was Orion's voice.

"Here, princess. Can you keep these fish in your skirt until we get to the castle?"

"Where is it?"

"Not far, as I fly. Perhaps half an hour."

She nodded, and caught up the fish in her pinafore before climbing onto Orion's back again.

"You don't have to call me 'princess', Sir Dragon. You can just call me Calla."

"And I certainly don't have to be 'Sir Dragon'. Orion is fine." He snorted. "'Sir Dragon'," he muttered, amused.

The flight was gentle, and Calla was very tired, but even though she tried to stay awake, she couldn't quite manage it.

When Orion landed, Calla woke, finding that her luck had not abandoned her: she had somehow not fallen from Orion's back, but she had squashed the fish, sullying her only clothes, and ruining her breakfast.

"No matter, Calla. I can find something closer for you. I'll try to find something easy for you to prepare. I simply can't cook." He made a shrugging gesture with his wings, then took off. Calla went into the castle.

She looked through any room with an open doorway, but opened no doors. Growing up with her luck meant she learned to be extra cautious. She'd found that people were very protective of their privacy and belongings, and she wanted to take no chances with the great red dragon. She didn't believe that Orion would eat her, necessarily, but so far, he had been very kind and helpful, and she had no other friends.

She found a small washroom and struggled with the bitterly cold water to clean herself and the biggest portion of the mess on her clothes before continuing her tour of the castle.

One room was a library, and Calla wandered in to see if there were any books about cooking. She didn't, but she did find an entertaining book of fairy tales. Some were classics, like the sleeping princess, the beautiful and jealous stepmother, and the rat and the maid, and some were new to her. She was utterly absorbed in one about an ogre and a donkey rescuing a princess when she heard Orion calling.

"Calla? I have some food for you!"

She snapped the book shut and hurried back towards the entrance, following the dragon's echoing calls.

"Ah! There you are!" He nudged a bag towards her. When she opened it, she found a chunk of cured ham, a loaf of dark bread, and a large wedge of cheese, as well as a jug of sweet cider.

"How did you get this?"

"I have a human that can acquire things, as long as I have money. As a dragon, I always have valuable things, therefore, I always have money."

Calla was still confused, but Orion seemed disinclined to explain further. She shrugged and followed him as he led her to a kitchen. She cut herself small portions of everything, stored the rest in some surprisingly clean cupboards, and ate. Orion told her about the castle, explaining its general layout, and giving her permission to explore it.

"Are there any parts I shouldn't go?" Calla asked. Orion cocked his head.

"Well, I would suggest staying out of the dungeons: they're dark, damp, and dangerous. Smell awful, too. I would prefer you not wander too much outside if you're staying, because though the grassy part is nice, the woods can be quite tricky. With your luck, who knows?" He snorted again. "Also, be wary of any floor or stair that is wooden. I don't know how old this castle is, and I use little of it."

"But anywhere else? I mean, are there locked rooms with forbidden treasures? Should I forever avoid your wing of the castle? Are there enchanted items?"

Orion began wheezing in a rhythmic way that led Calla to believe he was laughing at her. Hard.

"No, no," Orion assured her. "Nothing like that. I have no enchantments on or about me. I don't have any dead wives lying about. I'm just a dragon, Calla."

She blinked after him as he left, still wheezing occasionally.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:**_ _Part four. Enjoy!_

 _Jimli :)_

* * *

Dex frowned. "It seems like the dragon was making fun of her."

"Perhaps," the woman conceded, "but I believe that despite his words about dragons being more used to humans than fairies, he hadn't been around humans much, especially not little princesses. I believe Orion was just amused by her questions, her notions of the world and dragons in particular."

"So what about the human he had to get him things?"

"Ah, what about him indeed? Calla asked Orion a few times about him, but didn't receive any satisfactory answer until much later."

"And?" Dex asked eagerly.

"Come now, that would spoil the story! Let the tale unfold itself naturally, young man, and it will reward you handsomely in the telling."

"Oh, my manners!" Dex exclaimed. "I've been traveling so long I've forgotten them! My name is Dex, third prince of the Kingdom of Molung."

"Very nice to meet you, Prince Dex. I am Princess Calla of Dragon's Castle."

" _You_ are Princess Calla?!"

She laughed. "I did say I would tell you of how I came here, and of the great red dragon."

Dex blushed again.

"So," Calla continued, "after the first breakfast Orion brought, he made a habit of buying food for me, but I also studied in the library, to learn to clean and cook things Orion could easily hunt and catch."

"Did you explore the castle?"

"I spent many a long day exploring the castle…"

* * *

Calla had spent each day carefully going through every room on every floor. She had yet to choose one for a bedroom, much to Orion's amusement.

"I want to find the perfect room! It's going to be mine, so I want to choose the right one!"

"Calla," Orion started, "you can pick a room, and change it later if you like, I certainly don't care. Have an entire floor if you like."

"No!" Calla said, shaking her head. "I can't just constantly hop rooms! I'll never feel at home if I do that! I need to find the perfect room, and stick with it!"

"All right, Calla, if it is that important, I shall leave you to it."

"No wait, Orion!"

The dragon turned back to the princess, looking expectantly at her.

"Would…would you give me a proper tour? I mean, you've lived here, so you would know so much more about the castle than I do. It would be a big help, and…and I'd really like to have someone to talk to." The last part she had rushed, as though she had wanted to say it before she changed her mind. Orion cocked his head at her, then nodded slowly.

"All right, princess. Where would you like to start?"

"The entrance! No, the courtyard! Yes, show me the whole castle, starting at the entrance to the courtyard!"

"That may take a very long time."

"I really don't have anything better to do, Orion, do you?"

"I suppose if I had, I wouldn't have brought home a princess," he snorted. Calla clapped excitedly.

"This will be so much fun!"

Starting with the courtyard, Calla and Orion made their way through the castle, little by little, Orion telling the girl everything he knew about every square inch of the place. Her questions seemed interminable, but he found he didn't mind. He shared family stories, fledgling memories, and anecdotes about every room and piece of furniture they came across. It took them a full year to explore every nook and cranny that way, but by the time he finally reached the top of the tallest tower, they were both somewhat disappointed.

"So is that everything then, Orion?"

"I suppose it is, Calla." A pregnant pause hung in the air.

"Did you decide which room you would like?"

"Oh, yes!" she exclaimed clapping. "I want the one on the third floor with the eastern window, you know, the one where your father did the rain dance for your mother?"

Orion snorted. "Yes. Very well, Calla. Shall we move your things from that closet into that room?"

Since declaring that she would choose a room and stay in it, she had mostly slept in whatever room was handiest when it became late. On the rare occasions that Orion was gone from the castle after dark, she stayed in the library on the first floor. Her things, however, the dresses she'd found or that Orion had brought her, a few collected treasures, her very favorite books, had all been kept in a large closet just off the kitchen. It took very few trips to move her things, but more than a few days to clean the room to make it habitable. Orion had not been exaggerating when he'd told her he used little of the castle, and most of it was quite filthy.

Once her room was clean, Calla decided the rest of the castle needed the same. Orion ambled in to the first floor library to find her industriously studying a book about household tricks for cleaning, mending, and repair.

"What are you doing now, Princess?"

"I'm trying to figure out the best way to begin cleaning this place. Aren't you tired of getting dirty every time you move around?"

Orion snorted. "If I had known princesses were this troublesome, I might have considered changing my diet."

"Does that mean you aren't going to help?" she asked. "I could really use it, especially with the high stuff."

"I have absolutely nothing better to do, Calla," Orion replied. "Where would you like to begin?"

They began in the courtyard once again, trying to fruitlessly cultivate something besides weeds.

Calla grew frustrated after weeks of planting, watering, and weeding with nothing but stunted, dying flowers to show for it. She plopped down on the ground, trying not to cry, and not succeeding at that either.

"Perhaps we should just forget about flowers and just get rid of the undesirables," Orion said reasonably, greatly bothered by her tears. "What kind of dragon would all the knights think I was if I had lilies and roses in front of my castle?"

Calla cracked a smile, giggling, then frowned. "What knights?"

Orion shrugged. "Eventually, no matter what, somehow knights will figure out there is a princess here and decide to storm the castle, slay the evil dragon, and rescue the fair maiden. I think the fairies spread the word, probably in some phony old crone disguise."

"But you're not evil! You're kind and loving and sweet and helpful and funny! You rescued me from the swamp after the villagers left me there! Why would anyone want to kill you?"

Orion found himself very warm from her words, but pushed it aside to answer her.

"I'm sorry princess, but I don't believe many knights would take the time to find that out." He eyed her carefully before adding, "You know that if threatened, I will not hesitate to fight back. I was not merely being funny when I told you dragons eat knights, you know."

She looked at him curiously. "But, if they break into the castle, attack you, and try to kidnap me without even attempting to negotiate with you, then wouldn't that just be defending yourself?"

"Yes," he hedged, "but I suppose you could argue that I would not have to kill them or eat them in order to defend myself." Orion wasn't exactly sure why it seemed so important to make her understand, but he was anxious about her answer none-the-less.

She sat gazing at him thoughtfully. "Do you give them warnings? Tell them to leave, or that you will fight them, and possibly eat them? Because that might be fair."

Orion nodded. "I can do that. Do you wish me to tell them that you are not here against your will? To dissuade them?"

She nodded. "That would be fair. Then they would know that they could leave without looking like they were afraid." She stood, brushing dirt from her apron and dress. "Do you want to start the real cleaning now?"

In three years' time, several things had come to pass at the great red dragon's castle: Orion and Calla had successfully cleaned every room, even making repairs on floors, walls, and ceilings where necessary; they had gone through the library, reorganizing, reshelving, and cataloguing everything; they had settled into a comfortable routine, spending many wonderful days and evenings together talking, laughing, teasing, and playing; and a knight had finally made and appearance.

It was spring, and Calla was not yet 16 when the first knight came riding across the plain. At first, Calla thought it might be Orion's mysterious human acquaintance.

"Orion?" she called. "Have you sent your friend on some errand for you?"

"No, why do you ask, Princess?"

In answer, Calla pointed at the mounted man thundering towards the castle.

"That is a knight." Orion frowned. "Please go inside now, Calla. I will try to talk to this knight first."

She nodded and raced inside. From a balcony, she watched Orion walk towards the courtyard entrance and heard him hail the knight.

"What brings you to my castle, Sir Knight?"

"I have come to slay you, vile beast, and rescue the fair princess imprisoned within."

"There is no princess imprisoned within."

"Ha! Do not seek to lie to me, dragon, for I can see the beautiful maiden upon the balcony! Fear not, pretty maid, for I shall rescue you from the clutches of this foul dragon!"

"If I told you that she is free to leave, but does not, would you turn back?"

"Lies!" snapped the knight as he charged recklessly at Orion, lance leveled at the dragon's heart. Orion shook his head, took one quick glance to see that Calla was watching, then turned back to the charging knight. He snapped his head forward on his long neck, grabbing the knight off his horse and gulping him down. The horse brought itself up short and sped off in the opposite direction, bound for the woods.

The great red dragon looked back to the window and spied the beautiful princess there, looking down sadly.

"Why?" she called down. "Why would he not listen?"

Despite her obvious misery, Orion felt a flutter of elation that she had not been asking why he had eaten the knight. He met her in the courtyard, and they spent a quiet moment before Calla spoke up once more.

"I wish you could have convinced him, Orion." She smiled at him. "Maybe when he doesn't return, it will deter everyone else."

Orion shook his head. "I hope so, but I doubt it. In fact, his failure may very well spur on others."

She nodded. "Well, we'll just have to do our best to dissuade them, right Orion?"

He nodded and watched as she wandered back inside, still sad, but accepting of what had happened. He was unbelievably relieved about that because the last thing that had happened in those three years was Orion had fallen in love with Princess Calla.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:**_ _Thanks for the reviews, Be Rose; I hope you continue to enjoy it. :)_

 _Jimli_

* * *

The next couple of years proved Orion's words true. It seemed as though a new knight showed up every other day from that point on.

In keeping with his promise, Orion dutifully tried to dissuade each and every one, to no avail. A few made their attacks before Orion could even speak, although he did his best to negotiate before fighting back. Once, he even asked Calla to come down and talk to a particularly stubborn yet garrulous knight, Sir Waltham d'Chartagnan-on-the-Ply, as he had introduced himself. She had been fixing some tarts for dessert tonight and appeared from the kitchen dappled in flour and carrying her rolling pin.

"Sir Waltham, while I admire your courage, and appreciate your attempt to save me, I assure you, Orion has been nothing but kind to me, and does not keep me prisoner."

"Oh-ho!" the knight exclaimed. "You use your draconic magicks on the maiden, but I am not fooled! The fairy warned me that you had some hold on her mind!"

Orion cursed rather colorfully with regards to the fairy's lineage and hygiene. Sir Waltham took the opportunity to swing his great sword at the dragon. Catching him off-guard, he actually hit Orion, cutting him deeply across the ribs. Calla cried out, instinctively swinging the heavy utensil at the knight's head. His helmet rang and there was a cracking sound as he crumpled to the floor.

Calla rushed to Orion. "Are you all right?" she asked, panic in her voice and eyes. The great red was holding the wound as best he could, but still managed a soft snort.

"Perhaps you should fight the knights and save me the trouble, Calla."

She glanced at the unmoving form then back to Orion. "Tell me what to do, and I'll help fix you up."

Orion directed her to the appropriate store of herbs and supplies, and she put together a clumsy but serviceable poultice and wrapped some linen around his ribs, as tightly as she could. She walked with him to the large ballroom he used for a den and bade him rest. When she went back to the foyer, she debated what to do with Sir Waltham. In the end, she decided to take him to Orion's room and not ask too many questions.

With that done, she washed up and went back to the kitchen to finish making the tarts.

Calla ate a lonely dinner without Orion there and resolved to take him his tart after. She came into his room, glanced around briefly to see no knight, and smiled brightly at the dragon.

"Here, Orion," she called. "I brought you your tart!"

He looked up, the smell of the oversized pear tart perking up his appetite.

"I am glad you found that 'Cooking for a Banquet' recipe book in the library. If you had brought me a tart that smelled like that, but portioned for yourself, I would have been disappointed."

She frowned. "The one I made for me is this size. I just ration it instead of slurping it whole like some certain greedy red dragon I know."

He snorted at her, knowing she was teasing him, but the motion pulled his very sore ribs. He winced, and her expression immediately shifted to one of concern.

"Are you really all right, Orion?" she asked beseechingly. "I don't know what I'd do without you here."

The great red dragon was touched; he didn't want to worry her, but he knew he couldn't lie.

"The cut is deep, and it will take some time, but I should be fine. If it will keep you from worrying, I will promise to rest until it is completely healed."

"Is there anything else I can do?"

He considered. "There are some yellow-flowering plants with orange stems at the edge of the woods that can greatly speed my healing. They are somewhat poisonous to humans if consumed, but should be harmless enough otherwise. If you wish to help, you could fetch a pot's worth of those, stew them with elderberries, and bring the porridge to me. Remember not to taste the concoction, and wash carefully after cooking them."

She nodded and hurried off to the woods. On the way out, she looked at the entrance to the castle, an idea forming in her brain.

She found the plants, picked as many as she could find and stuff into the pot and hurried back to the castle. When she reached the entrance once more, she looked it over carefully, nodded to herself, then went in to fix Orion's porridge.

He began eating it as soon as she brought it, though from the expression on his face, she gathered that it did not taste very good. She then went back into the kitchen and grabbed a great chunk of pig fat she used for cooking. Calla went into the courtyard and began rubbing handfuls of the fat over the rusted mechanism that opened and shut the portcullis. Orion had told her during the tour that this had been a human castle in the time of his grandfather, but after the dragons had moved in, there had been little need for the portcullis.

As Calla worked to get the gears working again, she thought there was plenty of need for it. If a knight were to come while he was injured, Orion would fight with him no matter how he felt. Calla did not want the dragon to further injure himself or worse, so keeping the knights out was a good start.

When the sun finally dropped, she had managed to get the rust out of most of the main works, but had not yet begun on the chains themselves. She went inside, took a quick bath, and went to sleep.

It took Calla another day to get the portcullis to drop, and the loud crash startled Orion into somewhat painfully hobble outside.

"What are you doing?" they asked in synchronicity. A moment's silence hung in the air before Calla began laughing and Orion began snorting. The dragon's discomfort at doing so finally killed the humor, and Calla answered first.

"I thought I could keep the knights out this way, so you wouldn't have to fight them while you were hurt." Orion's heart thumped at the thought of her concern for him and ached at the thought that there was little he could do about his feelings.

"I came to see what the racket was. I should have realized it was more of your odd ideas."

She giggled, and they walked back into the castle.

A problem arose when Calla tried to work the mechanism a few days later to raise the portcullis: it was quite stuck. Orion assured her that when he was fully healed, a week at most, he could raise it without problem.

"Portcullises were not designed to keep out dragons after all."

Within a week, Orion was indeed healed, and his strength quickly came back. He went into the courtyard and lifted the portcullis, holding it until Calla could relock the mechanism that held it in place.

"With your luck, I'm surprised something worse didn't happen," Orion commented dryly.

"Actually, it has been a while since anything strange has happened around me. Do you think it's wearing off?"

"Possibly, Princess. Or perhaps it's because you are living with a dragon. We have a magic of our own. It is a passive kind that more or less neutralizes or dampens other kinds. I have long suspected that your luck had been somewhat tamed by me."

"Then why this?"

He shrugged. "Maybe because of my weakened state. Magic is a very tricky thing, which is why it is generally best not to meddle too much with it."

Things became quiet for a while after Orion was fully healed, until about a month later, when Calla awoke to find a knight in her doorway.

"Orion!" she cried, but the knight smiled at her softly.

"The dragon is not likely to come, fair princess."

"What have you done with him?"

"I assure you, Princess, he is fine. I would find it very bothersome to try to engage him in battle."

"Who are you?"

He chuckled. "I am a prince, of a sort, though I haven't much of a kingdom left to me, nor a family name to hide behind."

"What are you doing here?"

"I came here to ask you to marry me, princess."

"Why would I marry a man I do not know who sneaks into my home while I sleep?"

"Would it make you feel better to know I am deeply in love with you?"

"How could you be in love with me? You don't even know me!" Calla countered.

"I have watched you for years and grown to love you through all I've seen."

"That is more than a little disturbing, prince."

He chuckled again. "Perhaps. May I come in, Princess Calla?"

She shook her head.

"As you wish." he answered easily. The moon rose, casting light into the room, illuminating the prince. Calla's eyes widened. He was very handsome, with fine features, shoulder length red hair, and oddly colored eyes that were somewhere between yellow and green.

"Do you think me handsome, fair princess?" he asked. He did not sound as if he were teasing her; he sounded more as if he were genuinely curious. Perhaps he did not know how comely he was, or worse, he had been told he was plain or even ugly. Calla did not want to mislead him since he seemed so sincere.

"Yes," she said softly. "You are very handsome, Prince. I am sorry if anyone has told you otherwise."

He smiled. "Thank you, Princess. Your kindness and sweetness are two of the things I love about you."

"I am flattered, but I still find it creepy that you know so much about me when we have never met before."

He nodded. "I understand. What if I gave you the chance to know me?"

"How?"

"I could come see you, and we could talk."

"I wouldn't feel right about it without asking Orion."

"I'm sure the dragon won't mind."

"I'm not. I want to talk to him. In fact, I'd feel better if I could talk to him right away."

"Are you sure you won't marry me?"

"Yes," she confirmed. "I refuse to marry a man I don't know, no matter how handsome."

"And how shall you ever know a man, if you live with the dragon?"

Calla paused. She hadn't actually ever thought about that before, but then, the only men she ever saw were those blasted knights, charging in with their 'kill the dragon, rescue the princess' attitude that turned her off immediately. She realized that she didn't want any man who couldn't or wouldn't talk to Orion, including this prince.

"If you want to come here let me get to know you, you will need to meet Orion first. I won't be so much as friends with someone who won't be friends with him."

"Does the dragon mean that much to you?"

Calla blinked at him. She thought about when Orion had first saved her in the swamp, about the fun they'd had exploring and restoring the castle. She remembered the time when she'd been 13 and had fallen ill. Orion had taken care of her, nursing her carefully back to health. She thought about all the knights he'd protected her from, and about when Sir Waltham had injured him. She'd been so worried, so afraid she'd lose him. Afraid because…

Calla jerked suddenly and turned back to the handsome prince.

"Yes, he does. He means the world to me. I can't marry you, Prince, not even if I do come to know you. I love Orion."


	6. Chapter 6

_**A /N:**_ _Here is chapter six, the penultimate. As always, please enjoy. And review. :)_

 _Jimli_

* * *

"You love the dragon?"

"Yes," Calla confirmed. "He rescued me when I was lost and alone in a marsh. He has cared for me, risked his life to protect me. He has shared his home with me, and put up with all my odd ideas. He is kind, sweet, funny, smart, brave, caring, compassionate, courteous, and all manner of other things. I love him, good prince."

He smiled softly, the expression accentuating his already handsome features. "It warms my heart so to hear you say those things Princess Calla. Are you very sure you will not marry me?"

"How could I possibly marry you when I have just declared my love for someone else?"

"What if I were Orion the great red dragon? Would you then marry me?"

Calla was confused. "I don't know. I suppose. But you are a human and Orion is a dragon."

"I am not a human," replied the prince. "I am a dragon, the great red dragon named Orion."

Before Calla could reply to this strange declaration, his form shifted, and Orion was indeed standing in his place.

"Orion!" Calla exclaimed, rushing out of bed to catch him around the neck. Her arms fell around a human form and she looked up into the face of the red-haired prince.

"But, how?"

"Remember I told you that in my grandfather's time, this castle had been in the hands of humans? In those days, a human king ruled from this castle. A red dragon was flying overhead one day, and fearful of an attack, he ordered her shot down. She was wounded, but not killed, and crashed into the marsh near where I found you. A fairy found her."

"A fairy?"

"Yes. She had seen what had happened and decided to punish the king. She changed the dragon into a beautiful red-haired maiden, and delivered her to the castle still wounded. The dragon had been unconscious when the fairy had changed her, however, and somehow, the fairy's magic wiped her memory, perhaps because of the dragon's magic.

"She was found outside, and brought in, where she was treated for her injuries. She was allowed room in the castle while she recovered, and the king himself visited her. He thought she was very beautiful, and while she recovered, he got to know her, as much as he could since she hardly knew herself. He fell very much in love with her, but she was more reserved about him. She was distracted by her lack of memory and identity.

"As time passed, she became more and more unsettled by this, seeking out anyone who claimed to able to recover lost memories. She chanced upon a small patch of those flowers I had you bring for me, and had the overwhelming urge to eat them. When she did, she fell down as though dead and did not wake for a few hours. Upon waking, she remembered who and what she was, but she was still trapped in human form.

"The king had been very worried over her disappearance, and he was at first quite relieved when she came back to the castle. He was less so when she told him who she was. He apologized for his actions, explaining he had taken them out of fear. She, however, was more concerned with figuring out how she had come to be in a human form at the castle. The king vowed to help her find out, and they set off towards the marsh to learn what they could.

"As humans travel, the marsh takes almost all day to reach from here. They spent that time talking, and she became convinced that he was sincerely sorry for what he'd done, and he did indeed love her. For his part, he found the complete woman was even more appealing than the amnesiac human he'd known, even if she were a dragon.

"They reached the marsh and looked all over, but found nothing. They rode back to the castle, where the king declared he would find a way to restore her to her proper form. She was quite touched by that, and they ended up spending a lot of time together. He learned all she knew about dragons, and her especially, and she learned about humans, especially him. She fell just as much in love with him as he had her and one night, she asked him to marry her. He was delighted, and they were married soon after.

"When they found out she was expecting, they were as happy as any couple, and thoughts of her true nature did not come to either of them until their baby boy arrived."

"What happened? Was something wrong with him?"

Orion laughed gently, shaking his head. "Nothing, except he was clearly a dragon."

"He was born a dragon?"

"Yes, and the subjects were quite disturbed. Their prince and heir? A dragon? What would they do?"

Calla shifted around uncomfortably. "I know how that feels, knowing the people are against you."

Orion hugged her close, and they went back over to her bed to sit. "The people did not take to the baby dragon, and they decided to do something about it. They called on a fairy to help. She was, in fact, the same fairy that had started the whole mess. When she realized that not only had the king not been punished, but was now happily married to the dragon, she stormed into the castle. She caught the queen and changed her back into a dragon, and stalked away, no doubt looking for the dragon prince. The queen, enraged that this fairy had forcefully changed her not once, but twice, and was now after her baby, caught the fairy and ate her.

"She was ill for many days after, and when she finally rose from her sick bed, she found the castle quite deserted, save for the king and the prince. The king told her that seeing the dragon queen eat the fairy they'd called on had frightened all the people away. He had stayed because he still loved her and their son, no matter what. He walked up to her and kissed her as though she were still human, and an amazing thing happened: she took human form again. She found out that with some concentration, and a great deal of energy, she could switch between the two forms.

"When the prince reached his first molting, his skin shed to reveal a human form, but he too, could switch easily between the two, more easily than his mother, in fact.

"The king and queen had no more children, and he eventually died, leaving her and his son here in the castle alone. She became very lonely without the king, however. Her son determined to find her a companion. He searched around, never leaving his mother alone for too long, and eventually he found a gold dragon who was also looking for a friend. The gold dragon was a female, but he hadn't believed that his mother would want another husband anyway.

"The gold was quite fiery in disposition, and was actually a fire-breather, and she and the red female got along very well. The red took it upon herself to bring her son and her new friend together, unbeknownst to them, of course, and eventually succeeded in that endeavor. They, in turn, had a son of their own. Just after the little one's first molting, the red died, having reached a respectable age. The gold, the prince, and their fledging lived together in the castle for many years, until the attack.

"A band of knights, having mysteriously heard of a nest of dragons, decided to clean it out. They were unsuccessful, as were the next two raids. The older dragons grew weary of it after the third such attack, and moved away, making it known far and wide that they were leaving. Their son, who was grown by this time, decided to stay, but his parents had done well in their task, so no new raids came to the castle.

"Gradually, rumors grew that a great red dragon did live here, but since it was seemingly harmless, it was left alone."

"You mean you?"

"Yes, Princess. The human king was my grandfather, Wilhelm. The red dragon he'd ordered shot down was Fiara, my grandmother. The prince born to them was my father, Drake, ironically named after his mother's heritage. The gold he found and eventually mated with was Vim. Their son, named after the rising of the constellation, was Orion."

Calla nodded, recognizing the names from his stories. "So, did you mean it when you said you loved me and that you wanted to marry me?"

"Of course I did, Calla," he answered, smiling. "Did you mean it when you said you loved me?"

She nodded.

"Then, you will marry me?"

She nodded again. He lifted her chin gently and gave her a soft kiss….


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:**_ _Okay, here it is, the conclusion of The Princess of Dragon's Castle. To all who have reviewed, favorited, followed, or just viewed, I sincerely thank you. I hope you enjoy the end of the journey._

 _Jimli_

* * *

"Is that the end?" Dex asked, a note of sadness in his voice. He had been enjoying the twists and turns of Princess Calla's tale. She laughed.

"Of course not, Dex! It was only the beginning! Orion and I were very happily married, and we too eventually shared a baby, a red-tinted, gold daughter born one fine spring day as the sun rose. We named her in the same manner that we had been named ourselves, calling her Aurora."

"So the human friend Orion had?"

Calla nodded. "Was actually Orion himself, yes."

"Why not just appear to the knights as a human, to convince them there was no dragon?"

"I asked him that once. Orion shrugged and told me that he felt no need to assume a human shape to solve his problems. He wasn't a human, he was a dragon. Why should being a human make things easier? He also admitted that he enjoyed the taste of knights. Besides, if not a dragon, the knights would probably just believe that the human was keeping the princess captive, and try defeating him with magic or something." Dex nodded, thinking that it would indeed be exchanging one set of problems for another.

"You told me when I arrived that the great red dragon was killed, how did that happen?"

Calla smiled bitterly. "A few years ago, hearing tales of a beautiful princess trapped here, a knight showed up. He had heard of the many knights that had come before him, so he came prepared with a poisoned blade. Orion did well against him, but against the poison…" she trailed off sadly.

"Aurora came back from getting some food too late to help her father, but she took care of the knight."

"Did she eat him?" Dex asked wryly.

"She did, but before doing so, she showed him the beautiful princess. It was a nasty shock to the knight to learn that the object of his quest was one of the dragons of the castle."

"Where is Princess Aurora now?"

"She left to get some fish from the marsh for breakfast." A flapping of great wings could be heard in the courtyard, and both Calla and Dex went to the balcony to see a red-gold dragon ambling into the castle.

"Mother!" a rich feminine voice called. "I found some fish! They must be breeding like crazy, I have enough here for-"

"A guest, perhaps?" Calla interrupted as she and the prince met the dragon in the kitchen.

"Who's this?"

"A knight, come to slay the great red dragon and rescue the fair princess," Calla answered, laughing. Aurora snorted, a sound Dex now knew meant he was being somewhat made fun of, but somehow, he couldn't seem to care. Even as a dragon, he found Aurora utterly captivating.

"Might I join Your Most Beautiful Highnesses for breakfast?" he asked softly, holding the dragon's gaze. She cocked her head curiously at the would-be knight.

"What is your name, knight?"

"Actually I am not quite a knight. I am on a quest to earn my knighthood, but after hearing about the many knights your family has known, I'm not so sure it is quite the honor I once believed. My name is Dex, and I am the third prince of the Kingdom of Molung."

The dragon shifted, and a beautiful young woman with cascading strawberry blonde hair stood in her place.

"I am Princess Aurora of Dragon's Castle." She glanced at her mother briefly. "Mother and I would be pleased to have you join us for breakfast, Dex."

Not only did he join them for breakfast, but for many and many breakfasts afterward, which of course, was only the beginning.


End file.
